Love Isn't Easy
by x-oncemorewithfeeling-x
Summary: Harry and Shannon are in madly love, but can they stay together with so many obstacles in their path? No particular pairings apart from HarryOC and...well, that would be giving it away! Rating may change as story progresses. Please R&R!
1. As Lovers Go

**Chapter One: **

As Lovers Go

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, apart from the plot of this fic  
Song lyrics featured include, "Hero" by Chad Kroeger, and "As Lovers Go" by Dashboard Confessional. Harry Potter and all the trimmings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's note: Probable Mary Sue alert! If you don't get off on that, do not read this! This is a story I am trying to re-write. I wrote a massive story like this a few years ago, but it got lost (don't ask me how!) so I'm trying to recapture it with this.  
This will be solely focusing on romance and the angst that comes with it. So if you're hoping for a great epic story, sorry! Check out another fic, because there are some great ones out there! Please feel free to review, but if all you're going to tell me is that my O.C. is a Mary Sue, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in reading that.

* * *

It had always been them four. Right from the very beginning. Since that first train journey to Hogwarts (well, they hadn't been proper friends with Hermione until the troll incident on Halloween), and now they were still best friends at the start of their fifth year at Hogwarts.

Shannon lay on her bed and stared out of the window. She watched as the sun set, turning the sky a deep pink. She moved to sit on the window sill and lit up a cigarette. The only time she was truly happy, was when she was at Hogwarts. That's probably why her and Harry had such a strong connection, she thought as she blew smoke out of the window. Harry and Shannon had been friends since the start, but had become much more as the years had progressed. They had now been an official couple for nearly two years, much to the outrage of numerous third parties.

When she wasn't at Hogwarts, she lived with her older brothers, Lorne and Trey. She might as well have lived on her own, as Lorne, who was twenty one, was always at work. He worked in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, and hardly ever spent any time at home. Trey, on the other hand, was eighteen and never spent any time at home because he was always out partying with friends, spending most of the money Trey gave him on alcohol. The death of their parents had affected the boys more than it had her, she thought to herself; Lorne attempted to drown himself in his work, while Trey did the same with booze, even though their deaths had been a long time ago. Shannon had been a baby when they disappeared. _Disappeared_. It seemed so… vague. Like nobody was really bothered to find out what had happened. They had gone to live with distant family, until Lorne came of age, graduated from Hogwarts and begun his job at the Ministry. He had proceeded to move out and take his siblings with him, where they still lived together.

Hermione came into the dorm and put her books neatly on her bed. She looked at Shannon and sniffed the air suspiciously.

"You've been smoking in here!" she cried, "After I specifically asked you not to!"

Shannon flopped onto her bed, "Come on Herm, it's not like it's a big deal."

"If you get caught, you'll be seriously punished." Hermione reprimanded her sternly. And a lot of good that would do, she thought.

Shannon had a reckless disregard for rules, and took pleasure in breaking them (or so it seemed to Hermione).

"Are you going to punish me? Give me a detention?" Shannon grinned at Hermione.

She knew it drove her crazy when she taunted her like this. As Hermione was a prefect, it was actually her job to stop any misbehaviour, but as much as Hermione reveled in her post as Gryffindor prefect, she couldn't tell on one of her best friends.

"Are the boys back yet?" Shannon asked as she watched Hermione organize her notes; an activity that she did often.

Hermione looked up, "No, they're still out there. As much as I like Angelina, I think she takes her position as captain very seriously." Hermione half-frowned at Shannon's incredulous expression, "I'm nothing like that! She has them out there for hours on end into the night, where it's probably too dark to even see the balls flying about!"

"If they weren't happy, they'd quit." Shannon shrugged, "They're boys. They're weird." It seemed as if that settled the conversation, and Hermione went back to color-coding her Astronomy notes.

Shannon wandered downstairs and sat down next to Ginny, waiting for the boys to return from Quidditch practice. She looked up as she heard the Gryffindor team enter the common room and watched Harry and Ron made their way over to them.

"That was lousy!" stated Ron as he flopped into a chair covered from head to toe in mud.

Shannon grinned at Harry as she made room for him to squeeze in next to her, "Why?"

Ron gave her a have-you-seen-the-state-of-us?-look.

"A little mud never hurt anyone!" she said, kissing Harry, getting mud over her face, "See?"

Harry laughed, "I need to take a shower."

Shannon raised her eyebrows and smirked. Harry grinned, slightly embarrassed and stood up.

Shannon got to her feet, "I'm going to study upstairs. I've got a ton of homework waiting…"

They hurried upstairs, leaving Ron and Ginny sitting by the fire.

"I thought she said she'd done all of her homework…" mused Ron.

Ginny rolled her eyes at the naivety of her older brother and kept silent.

* * *

_I'll be true, I'll be useful, I'll be cavalier,  
I'll be yours, my dear  
And I'll belong to you  
If you just let me through _

This is easy as lovers go.  
So don't complicate it by hesitating.  
This is wonderful as loving goes.  
This is tailor-made,  
What's the sense in waiting?

Shannon giggled as she wrapped herself in a towel and began to attempt to leave the boys' shower room without anyone seeing her.

"How is it you're allowed in here, but I'm not even allowed in the girls' dormitories!" laughed Harry.

"Hogwarts believe that girls are more trustworthy than boys." Shannon said, smiling up at him.

Harry grinned, "Maybe. About a hundred years ago!" He took her in his arms and kissed her.

_I said, "I've got to be honest,  
I've been waiting for you all of my life."  
For so long I thought I was asylum bound,  
But just seeing you makes me think twice.  
And being with you here makes me sane.  
I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side._

Shannon pulled his body close to hers and wrapped her arms around him, as the kiss deepened.

"Hem, hem!"

The two jumped apart; Shannon grabbing at her towel to prevent it from falling.

"Don't mind us!" said Fred, grinning widely.

"Yeah!" said George, "Just pretend we're not here!"

Shannon looked at her feet, embarrassed, "I should go…" She grinned slightly at Harry and then hurried from the bathroom, forgetting her clothes in the attempt to put as much distance between herself and the twins.

"Nice one, mate!" George laughed, slapping him on the shoulder.

"It wasn't until my sixth year I got a girl in here…" Fred told him, looking into space, reminiscing.

"Cool. I gotta go." Harry walked out of the bathroom, grabbing his clothes.

Fred and George exchanged matching grins.

* * *

Later that night, Harry lay in bed, looking out of the window. Even with everything that had happened to him up until now, he still couldn't help feeling slightly elated. He was _in love._ Something he, Harry, never thought would happen. It was really amazing how many hours he could dedicate to just thinking about the way her mouth looked when she smiled. Even though things were going to get hairy, what with the return of Voldemort, as long as Harry had Shannon, and his friends, there was nothing he couldn't face.

"As sweet as that is, don't you think you're being a little bit too fearless?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw Shannon standing at the foot of his bed, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

She laughed softly, "I'm sure." She walked around the side of the bed and climbed in next to him, settling between the warm sheets.

"Looks like you're getting pretty good at that Legilimency stuff." Harry told her, wrapping her in his arms as he lay down next to her.

"I should hope so. It's in my blood after all." Shannon replied. Her mother had been a powerful witch, and excelled in Legilimency. _According to others,_ Shannon thought to herself bitterly.

Harry kissed her softly and the bitterness evaporated; she was here. With Harry. With someone she loved, and who loved her just as much in return. Shannon closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

They were experiencing a long summer and the air was still warm, the sun still shining, as they finished their breakfast that Saturday morning, and made their way outside. The boys brought their broomsticks with them.

"There is no way you are sneaking down to the pitch to practice!" Shannon told Harry, "It's the weekend! And you're both going to spend it with us."

Harry grinned, "Not even if I teach you how to fly?"

Shannon couldn't help but smile; she had been pestering Harry for a while now to teach her how to fly, "Okay!"

Hermione opened her mouth in shock, "What was all that about –"

"How about if I teach_ you_ how to fly?" Ron asked Hermione.

"There's no way I'm getting on a broomstick, especially not with you, Ron!" Hermione told him.

Ron turned away, looking hurt, and began to make his way to the pitch.

Fred, George and Ginny made their way over to them.

"What's wrong with Ron?" asked Ginny, watching her brother walk alone.

"Hey Harry, you heading to the pitch too?" asked George, talking over Ginny.

"Yeah." he replied, "I'm gonna try and teach Shannon how to fly."

Fred and George burst out laughing, "Oh, this should be fun!"

They made their way to the Quidditch pitch to find Ron talking to Seamus and Dean. There were quite a lot of people on the pitch, obviously having the same ideas as they did.

Shannon moved closer to Harry, "I thought the pitch would be empty."

"Don't worry." Harry told her, "Come on."

Hermione settled herself in the stands with Ginny, watching as everyone else zoomed around on brooms.

Fred and George mounted their brooms and took off into the air, while Harry made his broom hover in front of Shannon.

"Now, you just take it in your hand, and mount it." he said, smiling at the look on her face, "Really, it's not hard.

Shannon shot him a look and did as she was told, "Okay… This seems alright."

Harry grinned, "Now, just…kick off!"

"But I don't know how to control it!" said Shannon in desperation, "You're not a very good teacher."

Harry sighed; this was going to be hard work, "Okay. You sit at the front…" He got on the broom behind her, "And I'll sit here." He put his arms around her and held the front of his Firebolt, so he would be able to control the broom, "You ready?"

"No." said Shannon, grinning.

Harry gripped the broom tightly, hoping that he wouldn't slide right off the end, and kicked off hard. The two of them soared high into the air, the warm summer air whistling past their ears, "Not so scary, is it?" Harry shouted.

Shannon was laughing as Harry spun the broom around the Quidditch pitch. He dived up and down, twirled in the air and rocketed around the stadium at full speed.

"Fancy doing a loop?" Harry yelled in Shannon's ear.

"Go for it!" Shannon told him, gripping hold of the broom tighter.

Harry steered the broom in a full loop-the-loop in one fast motion, managing to keep them both on the broom due to the high speed.

_I am so high, I can hear heaven.  
I am so high, I can hear heaven._

_Oh but heaven, no heaven don't hear me. _

And they say that a hero can save us.  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.  
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles.  
Watch as we all fly away.  
_  
Someone told me that love would all save us…_

Harry landed the broom softly on the ground. Shannon got off unsteadily, still laughing, "Wow! That was amazing!"

Harry grabbed hold of her to hold her steady, "Well you did good. You didn't fall off!"

Shannon poked him playfully, "Thanks."

"You ready to try on your own?" Harry asked her.

Shannon shook her head, "I think I'll keep my feet on the ground for now."

Harry gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he jumped back on his broom and joined Fred, George and Ron in the air.

* * *

Harry and Shannon were the last left in the common room that night, snuggled up in front of the fire.

"I love you." said Shannon quietly.

Harry kissed her on the forehead, "It's late."

Shannon turned to look at him, "Don't you love me?"

"You know I do."

"Then say it."

"No." Harry said, grinning.

Shannon frowned.

_This is easy as lovers go.  
So don't complicate it by hesitating.  
This is wonderful as loving goes.  
This is tailor-made,  
What's the sense in waiting?_

"I love you." Harry said, finally.

"I know." Shannon turned and kissed him, running her fingers delicately through his hair.


	2. It's Only Love

**Chapter Two: **

It's Only Love

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, apart from the plot of this fic.  
Harry Potter and all the trimmings belong to J.K. Rowling.  
Song lyrics featured include, "It's Only Love" by Heather Nova.

Author's Note: I wasn't sure if I wanted this fic to play out like this, but I'll see how it goes. It may be edited later on.

* * *

Shannon looked up from her book as someone sat opposite her. She glared. It was Malfoy.

"What do you want?" she asked acidly.

Malfoy smirked as usual, "Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. I just want to annoy you, and the fact that my mere presence can do that… Well, the less effort, the better in my opinion."

Shannon cast her gaze back to her book, trying to ignore him with all her strength.

"You think you can ignore me?" Malfoy's smirk turned into a sneer, "You couldn't ignore me if your Potty boyfriend's life depended on it!"

Shannon glanced up and flashed Malfoy a smile. Malfoy made a noise of disgust and flounced out of the library. Shannon smiled again, this time with satisfaction; she had a three foot essay for History of Magic on giant wars, and she was determined to finish it that night.

* * *

Meanwhile, the boys were partaking in yet another long late-night Quidditch practice with the rest of the team.

A bludger shot past George's outstretched bat and hit Alicia square in the face. She spun backwards on her broom and flew through the air. George rushed over to her and guided her to the ground.

"Ah, Alicia, I'm really sorry." George apologised, as she held onto her bleeding mouth, "It's hard to see anything in the dark!" He raised his voice at the last part, so Angelina would hear him.

"Alright, maybe we should call it a night." said Angelina to the rest of the team, "Good practice everyone." She led her troops back to the changing rooms wearily.

After changing, Harry went back out onto the pitch to bring in the balls crate and was surprised to find Ginny sitting on it.

"Alright, Gin?" he said as he walked over to her.

She smiled up at him, "Not really."

Harry sat down next to her, "What's wrong?"

Ginny shrugged, "Nothing. Everything."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ginny grinned, and pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey, "If you've got the time."

Harry stared at the alcohol in Ginny's hands and frowned a little, "Where did you get that?"

"I got Dobby to swipe it from the teachers' cupboard in the kitchens." she replied, unscrewing the cap. "He was more than happy to help." she insisted as Harry fixed her with a look.

"I don't know, Ginny…" Harry told her, unsure, "We could…"

"Get into trouble?" Ginny laughed, "And most of the things you do could never lead to that!" She took a long swig from the bottle and screwed up her face at the taste, "Well, it's not Butterbeer, but it does the job…"

Harry's frown deepened, "Ginny, has something happened…?"

"No." she replied, the anger hinting in her voice, "_Nothing_ has happened! Nothing _ever_ happens. Not to me…" Ginny passed Harry the bottle, "Go on. You get used to it after a while."

Harry took an involuntary sip. It tasted like acid and left him with a burning sensation in his stomach. He took another sip. Ginny was right; you did start to get used to it… He passed the bottle back to her.

"So how are things with you and Shannon going?" Ginny asked him somewhat ten minutes later. By now, the bottle was half empty.

Harry shrugged as he took another draught of the whiskey, "Normal."

Ginny frowned, "Normal? That's not the way I'd describe it if I were in a perfect relationship."

"It's not perfect…" he insisted, taking one more sip before passing the bottle.

"Oh really?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, "And what's so imperfect about it then?"

Harry, who was now sitting on the grass, laid backwards, "Nothing. Everything."

Ginny sighed, taking another sip, gazing at Harry as he lay down and closed his eyes. She smiled to herself slightly, as she watched him.

_I used to think that I knew what we needed  
I just assumed we would always be fine  
Now I don't think that we lost the feeling  
But we, let everything build up inside  
_  
_It's only love  
But love, should make us strong  
It's only love  
__But love, has been hurting so long_

Ginny lay down next to Harry on the grass, "Harry?"

He opened his eyes, "What?"

"I'm…" she hesitated, but the alcohol bubbling in her stomach urged her to carry on, "I'm in love with you."

_What a challenge, honesty  
What a struggle to learn to speak  
Who would've thought that pretending was easier _

It's only love  
But love, should make us strong  
It's only love  
But love, has been hurting so long

Harry sat up on his arms, looking at Ginny through blurred vision, "I thought… Hermione said you were 'over me'."

Ginny grinned, "How can I be over you, if I was never _under_ you?"

"Ginny, no!" Harry tried to get up but his legs wobbled and he fell back to the ground, "You… you shouldn't be…"

"What, Harry?" Ginny moved over to him, "Shouldn't be out here with you? In an isolated area, where nobody would see what we were doing? Shouldn't be drinking alcohol, which would lead to bad choices?"

Harry's head was swimming. She had planned this! It was obvious now. And he'd fallen for it. And now it was him, and her, and he was… well, let's face it, he was completely slaughtered.

_And it's all, a part of me  
It tears at my heart  
Only love  
And it's all an eternity  
Hoping to learn  
Only love_

Ginny placed a hand on Harry's, "I love you."

Harry looked into her eyes, and saw the desperation, the longing, the desire… Nope, wait a minute; he could see himself! He smiled, and his reflection smiled back at him. So did Ginny. She moved closer and caught Harry's lips in a delicate kiss.

_There's a part of you I'm trying to reach  
Still a part I don't know  
Tell me, is devotion a gift or a thief?  
Do you wish I'd let go?_

Harry was shocked, but he responded, deepening the kiss and lying down with Ginny. She ran her hands through his hair, and rolled across so that Harry was lying on top of her. Ginny moaned softly as she felt the weight of him on her, and reached for his trouser belt…

_It's only love  
But love, should make us strong  
It's only love  
But love, has been hurting so long _

And it's all, a part of me  
It tears at my heart  
Only love  
And it's all, eternity  
Hoping to learn  
Only love


End file.
